Ana van Balen

Today, there are existing federal programs that attempt to provide for families living in poverty—from federal health insurance to food stamps and welfare.  Over the years, much effort has gone into trying to amend these programs to increase their effectiveness in meeting the needs of the poor.  These efforts inspired Ana van Balen’s Personal Leadership Project, which seeks to develop an educational and decision-making process for those working with poor and marginalized communities to reduce harm through shared ownership of community change initiatives. 

To achieve this, Ana plans to create a tool ormetric of reducing harm, validate the measurement method, disseminate the information through academic journals, conferences, and other relevant spaces, and tailor the tool to assist struggling audiences across the country.